Had the chance to visit for a Jacksonville Chamber event, and experiencing the Arboretum at night…read morewas such a unique treat. The staff and volunteers were incredibly welcoming and did a great job hosting. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful, and such a great reminder of what a special outdoor space this is for the community. It was the perfect setting for an evening event and a great way to experience the gardens in a different light. If you haven't been yet, definitely check it out and support this local gem!

We visited on the first night of Glowing Gardens and it was magical. I have never seen the gardens…read moreduring the day, but Seeing them lit up at night decorated for Christmas is nothing short of spectacular. Christmas trees and dragon flies, giant decorations and twinkle lights galore.... Santa is holding court in the center of the gardens, right next to lit up swings and see saws for the kids to run around and play. You can make s'mores over an open fire and there are adult beverages for sale as well!!!

Came here for Father's Day with family and friends where we rented a pavilion. It was a long wait…read moreto get inside the park, but that could have been because it was a holiday. The pavilion was nice and covered perfect for our big picnic! Right next to us was the bathrooms, shop, and little restaurant. We were able to change easily into our bathing suits to go swim at the beach and my friend was even able to buy a bikini from the store since she forgot one - so convenient! The beach is beautiful and the water is stunning, be prepared to walk across a lot of sand to get to the water part. After swimming, we went to get some ice cream from the shop, and I got a root beer float, which was good. Overall, such a nice time!

Spent the day at Anastasia State Park and it really delivered. The beach was beautiful with soft…read moresand and plenty of space to spread out. It was definitely windy, but honestly it didn't take away from the experience at all. If anything it made the waves more fun to watch and kept things from getting too hot. The playground was a big hit with the kids. They had a great time running around and burning off energy while we relaxed nearby. It's one of those spots where both adults and kids can enjoy themselves without feeling cramped or bored. Between the scenery, the clean beach, and the family friendly setup, this is an easy five star stop. Would come back again without thinking twice.

This will always be my go-to beach! The amount of shells and shark teeth you can find here is…read morehonestly overwhelming so bring a bucket! Definitely be prepared to walk! There are also stairs that will make you think twice about bringing a heavy load, so I definitely recommend packing light. But it's absolutely worth it! I believe they accept credit/debit now, but I'd still recommend bringing at least $5 just in case the machine is down. Also, make sure you take a picture of your tag number before heading to the ticket machine, it'll make things a lot easier! I also see plenty of people bring their dogs to the beach, just make sure they're leashed.

We wanted to walk on a quiet beach along the drive from St Augustine back up to Jacksonville. We…read morestopped at the North Beach of the Guana River Preserve. There is a parking lot on the west side of the road (the fee is $3.00, and there is a crosswalk over to the beach on the east side). This is the location where Ponce de Leon supposedly first identified Florida as a land mass and not just an island. There were a few people out on the beach, walking or looking for shells. It was a sunny day in January, with temps in the high 50's. I loved that it was not crowded or commercial. There are no services other than a parking lot and two (well-maintained porta potties). It was exactly what I wanted.

Hidden gem! We loved swimming and my boys enjoyed climbing the palm tree…read more We did a short trail and saw plants and bugs! We had a picnic at a table but moved to the sun because the boys were cold.

sure didn't look like the brochure. too many bugs, spring…read moredidn't look like the pictures. much smaller area. several outhouses in the parking lot no refunds once you pay even if it's 5 minutes later

Such a great place to visit & spend time if you are looking to refresh your soul, heart, spirit,…read moreand mind! My favorite part: Little Lake Johnson! It was clean, tranquil, beautiful, and peaceful! We chose the day pass option - only $5 per vehicle (up to eight people per vehicle)! In the future, we're looking forward to renting one of the cabins!

Really well-maintained park. There are a lot of good walking areas and trails. The rec center has…read moreclean bathrooms and a playground. There's also a bunch of picnic tables. It's nice and spread out. We took our two dogs and they did really well with these trails. Definitely a nice area!

Absolutely stunning spot for spending a nice day strolling around the gardens and learning the…read morehistory of this area. They allow fishing, and we met a couple of characters today for sure. Artists were painting and creating their masterpieces as well. Azaleas are in bloom and the roses will be very soon. Love this spot for a photo shoot or they also do weddings here as well. Worth the drive from any direction!

$5 per car to visit which was totally worth it. Great spot to visit after Fort Mantanzas…read more It's a quite little State Park that is extremely well landscaped. The main garden area is well manicured. Bikes and pets are not allowed. There is a spot on the water where dolphins have been spotted. There is a great little picnic area and park. There are 2 trails. The Bella Vista Trail system is quite long! Totally doable for the active but there wasn't a sign to tell you the distance. No

This place is fantastic! It's way, way off the main street! You literally go down a dirt drive (…read morewhich was very well maintained) maybe 2 miles back then reach just a gorgeous natural area right on the water! Beautiful trees and water! It's nice and clean and seems to be very well taken care of, I think you can camp here also.

Very beautiful park! We saw two groups of 3 deer ( possibly the same ones?) while driving on the…read moreloop. I was traveling with someone with a walker and my husband who has limited walking abilities so the long driving loop was great for them and their limitations. However - we had brought a picnic lunch but there were NO picnic tables accessible out of the sun with parking nearby. We did see some tables with lovely shade but there was NO parking at all unless you parked on the grass which was forbidden. I don't know how they expected anyone to get to them unless they were out for a long walk! We finally had to eat lunch sitting in the car and that was sad considering the beautiful surrounding. But aside from the handicap inaccessibilities, we did enjoy the park very much.

Breathtaking views. From old beautiful trees to highways w covered green branches for miles to a…read morespectacular ocean view. The whole loop is longer than 10 miles and several people will probably try to zoom past, I suggest pulling over and letting them pass so you can enjoy all it has to offer. Also some amazing houses both on the ocean and the Halifax river to see. Overall it's a good day. And there are more than 1 state parks you can detour off on if you like.

This was a lovely drive- plenty of opportunities to pull off for fishing, to put in kayaking or…read morejust enjoy tailgating right there at the waters edge. Classic natural Florida alive and well. The roads obviously flood and often. They had the road closed sign off to the side when we entered the scenic drive and several signs about roads may flood~ obviously- the water is right there! If fact- you should be careful driving or you could easily find yourself taking a corner too fast and ending up in the water! I wouldn't want to drive this at night. Lucky for me- we drove it in bright beautiful daylight and I hung out the window taking snapshots as we drove by. Plenty of people were fishing! Just a good day to be outdoors. I know there is some hiking trails too~ we obviously didn't do that part.

It was shaded along the way. There were minimal tree roots, making it easy to push a stroller over…read more There are different marked paths along the way. We went to the beach at the end of the 1 mile hike and walked the beach, looking for shells, watching crabs scramble by, and enjoying the views. It is well maintained by maintenance crews, and there are several picnic benches at the beach. It was hot on the way back, but there was a restroom at the beginning of the trail and a pavilion with benches. There was plenty of parking, no crowds, and places to fish, kayak, paddle board, and boat.

Amy helped us by giving us an overview of the work the center does and answering our questions…read more She was incredibly friendly and informative! She clearly loves her work. The visitor's center is beautiful and interesting. Our eight year old was engaged by the exhibits and live animals. We did the yellow hike, which was perfect for a July morning. We saw tortoise and many different types of birds and enjoyed looking at crabs along the waterline. Really cool experience. I highly recommend!

What a neat little hidden treasure! They've got some lovely trails in here and incredible views…read more There is a kayak launch as well. And loads of different types of camping/cabin rentals available. And a pool! This day I went just to walk the trails and it's amazing how you can feel so far in the woods while still being basically in a neighborhood. The trails aren't very long but plenty to see along the way. I liked the tree house trail and seeing the neat treehouses you can camp in. And the views over the river are gorgeous down the jungle trail. If you need to get out to touch grass, highly suggest this spot!

Such a fun time last night at Camp Chowenwaw!…read more We stayed in one of the treehouses, number 5 to be specific. There was so much wildlife to be heard throughout the night including owls, woodpeckers, and what we think were crickets or maybe lubbers. The bathrooms and shower areas were very clean for a park/camping area. There are different trails to explore along the path to the treehouses, which we didn't have a chance to do. We suggest bringing a sheet or blanket to cover your mattresses. Each treehouse has 2 twin sized bunk beds (total of 4 mattresses). They are VERY uncomfortable, so if you need extra support, you should probably bring a mattress topper/padding. The grills were pretty clean, just need some dusting off before cooking, though, nothing out of the ordinary. Upkeep for everything was great!